It is all Master Terafan's fault ! I am certain that he has heard this
before. A visit to his website (www.greydragon.org) and you will see why!

Viscountess
Gwynna was admiring the Gothic benches and the pair of takedown, transportable
boxes I had finished (articles on these and other furniture can be found at
Terafan's website).

We were becoming concerned about space inside our pavilion, however, and
transporting everything has necessitated a trailer! "The boxes are great
for storage, but really cannot be used for seating; and the benches are
wonderful seating, but that's all," she said. Feeling those blue eyes
demanding my attention, I looked at her. "I have the solution right
here," I said, closing the book in my hands with a "pop"! I
passed the volume to her Excellency. "Turn to page 34," I said, as she
opened the book. "A chest that's a bench," she exclaimed, "and it
has a backrest?!" "Yes, comfortable camp seating and storage all
rolled into one neat package," I grinned.

Taken from "What Life Was Like In The Age Of Chivalry"
by Time/Life Books, page 34, "A Pilgrimage to Santiago De
Compostella". The picture is credited to Archiv Gerstenberg, Wietze,
Germany, courtesy Service Archeologique du canton de Berne, Switzerland.

The Bench is assumed to be fifteenth century as the clothing and
accoutrements pictured date from that period. A simple "taboret savonarole"
(folding chair) is pictured to the left of the bench and is nearly identical to
chairs found in numerous 15th C. manuscripts including "The History of
Oliver of Castille" and "The Comedies of Terence" (Ms. Latin 664,
bibl. De l'Arsenal1, and a piece on exhibit at the Higgins Armory
Museum dating from near the turn of the 16th C. The table linen is also
consistant with a 15th C. style of Perugia Linen described in Compleat
Anachronist # 114, Perugia Towels, by Lady Alianora Munro, page 8.

The Bench is of a simple butt jointed, boarded construction, done here in
fir, as would have been used in softwood forested areas of Central and Southern
Europe2. Any hardwood may also be used, as determined by the depth of
the maker's purse. Oak would most certainly have been used in England, and
many of Roger Campin's paintings show settles made of walnut. Pear and other
fruitwood would also be strong, durable and historically correct, but we wanted
to be able to move the settle when full. The choice is yours!

Detail: The Annunciation
The Merode Altarpiece
Roger Campin, Late 15th century

Below the seat is a chest, readily accessible by merely lifting the seat. No
lock is pictured, but other contemporary chests were so equipped. Above the
seat, the backrest pivots on pegs which attach it to the sides. This may have
been to aid in moving the piece once the chest was filled, as there are no
handles; or, may have been a security feature, with the backrest/handle pivoted
opposite the hinges, the chest is inaccessible. In actual fact, the
purpose may be to allow the user to face either direction without moving
the settle. Some paintings show the settle before a fireplace and
supports this conclusion.

Detail of Altarpiece:
Mary Magdalene washes the feet of Christ with her tears.
Unknown Artist, Late 15C.
Church in Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, Germany
Photo by David Kuijt

Construction:

Photo by David Kuijt

This is a simple six board chest construction with two exception. First, the
front and back (fig. A) must be built up from two 45 inch lengths of 1X12 to
reach the seat height of 22 inches. There are several ways to do this in a
period fashion using dowels, mortise and tenon, or just glue. Secondly, the sides are taller to maintain the pivoting
backrest (fig. B). Note the design at the top of the side panel. The circle is 3
inches in diameter and serves as the pivot for the backrest. The flat topped
uprights on either side support the backrest.

Attach the front and back to the edge of the sides. Your box should measure
45 inches long by 11½ inches wide. Now fashion your top and bottom. The top is
a full width 1X12 cut at 43 3/8 inches long attached by the hinges to the back.
The bottom is cut 43½ inches long by 10 inches wide, and can be held in place
with brackets made from cut waste.

Now for the most unique feature of this project: the pivoting backrest!

Using
the 5/8 inch Forstner bit, drill a hole in the center of the circular appendage
at the top of the sides of the box (clamp a piece of scrap to the exit side of
the hole to ensure a clean cut). Test fit a short piece of 5/8 inch dowel to
each hole. Cut the rails with a 3 inch diameter circle at one end, a 5/8 inch
hole centered on the circle, and an overall length of 5¾ inches (Fig. C).

Fit these over the pivot dowels and mark the uprights that will serve as the
support for the backrest. Cut the backrest 48 3/8 inches
long. Attach the rails to the inside of the backrest as desired (Fig. D). Glue
the pivot dowels into the bench sidesNOT the backrest rails. An
attractive touch here is to put a half round wooden cap on the outside of the
pivot dowel. Cut a 1½ inch wooden ball in half,
drill it to fit over the pivot
dowel and glue in place.

After assembly, scrape the entire piece smooth using a cabinet scraper, and
lightly sand. I finished with a varnish to give it some protection from the ever
changing Meridian humidity and weather. There are a number of references for
finishing a piece such as this. Recipes for "varnish" (probably an
early version of boiled linseed oil) appear in Cennino d'Andrea Cennini's
"Il Libro dell'Arte," and manuscripts of Jehan Le Begue. Some include
the addition of a staining element. Even painting is not entirely out of the
question. However for a 15th century family, your choices of tempera (egg based)
and Milk paint require a top coat to prevent chipping and chalkiness
respectively. According to Tom Rettie4, a coat of linseed oil works
admirably for this purpose.

Many
examples of the Flip-Back Settle exist, both as actual pieces of furniture and
represented in countless works of art. They range from the elegantly simple,
like the subject piece, to masterpieces of the cabinet makers art. In each case,
one important point is obvious: this was meant to be indoor furniture. Now, most
of my SCA activity takes place out of doors, and I need furniture with a high
survivability rate.

Since this is to be used indoors and out, I made some practical concessions
and used Gorilla Glue at all the joints and glue points. I also finished it with
a spar varnish to give it some protection from the ever changing Meridian
humidity and weather.

As for fasteners, screws did exist in the late Middle Ages. Handmade, with
square tips and rounded heads³ they are very similar to antique gunstock screws
Although this piece would hardly have rated such an extravagance, I have used
screws on the hinges, and in the butt joints as this piece will be used in camp
and possibly uneven terrain. Countersinking the screws at the joints and filling
the holes with dowels gives a pleasing look. Most often clinch nails would have
been used, but these must be handmade or purchased at an expense much greater
than the modern screws I used.